Quick Touch-Tone Update

I've noticed recently that the number one search path to my blog continues to be from people looking for information on Bell Canada's touch-tone service charge. It's been quite a while since I last wrote about this topic (http://www.annoyedcanadian.com/2004/12/touch-tone-trouble-update.html) but it doesn't look like anything has changed. I checked out Bell's website and they still list touch-tone service as an additional (but not optional) $2.80 fee.

Back in 2001, Bell had applied to the CRTC to include the charge in regular service, but then withdrew the request stating that a number (less than 5% of their customer base) still had rotary service and were complaining about losing it (I'm sure only a small fraction of those people actually complained).

As I've previously discovered in my exchanges with Bell, one cannot have touch-tone service removed from your service. The only people who are not charged for the service are existing rotary customers and the moment they switch to touch-tone, they can never go back.

I'm quite sure that 7 years later, there are far fewer than 280,000 rotary customers left - it seems strange that Bell would not just pull the plug on this service once and for all. After all, it must cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to maintain the rotary service - they are performing a heroic service to the few rotary customers left.

Of course it could also be that they get to charge $33.60 per year to each of their 7.3 million non-rotary residential customers for a meager $245,280,000 extra dollars per year. I wonder how many people point out this little fact to Bell? Perhaps it would help if we all wrote to ask when they plan on eliminating this premium but mandatory service. The corporate communications contact for their parent BCE can be reached at:

bcecomms@bce.ca

1000, de La Gauchetière Ouest, Bureau 3700
Montréal (Québec) H3B 4Y7

Telephone:1 888 932-6666
Fax:(514) 870-4385